The paper analyzes Morocco's grapple with its years of led and its conversion to visual representations in the form of cites of memory, documentaries and feature films. The focus is two faceted. One is assessing the contributions of these representations in the portrayal of the past as distinct from academic narratives in approaches, methods and objectives. The second facet compares the representations of the painful past with those associated with the celebration of the "glorious" past, such as independence, military victories, economic achievements. These comparisons should highlight the role of emotions in politics and in the continuing struggle over legitimation, de-legitimation and re-ligitimation.